Integrated shaft bearing for a sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10295370-B2
Application number	US-201515504185-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A sensor device for detecting rotation, having a position transmitter with a shaft element having first and second shaft ends. The rotation to be detected is introduced via the first shaft end. The shaft element contains a magnet element at the second shaft end, a sensor element for detecting the rotation of the magnet element, and a housing part with at least two sections are separated from each other. The shaft element of the position transmitter is mounted on the first section, and the sensor element is arranged in the second section. The housing part and the shaft element each have a first bearing portion shaped so as to taper towards the shaft end in the region of the second shaft end, the shaft element supported on the housing part on the first bearing portion in order to support the position transmitter on the housing part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor device for sensing a rotation, comprising:
a position encoder having a shaft element extending in an axial direction and which has a first and a second shaft end, wherein the rotation to be sensed is introduced via the first shaft end, and wherein the shaft element contains a magnet element at the second shaft end,
a sensor element for sensing the rotation of the magnet element, and
a housing part having at least two portions that are separated from one another, wherein the shaft element of the position encoder is mounted on the first portion and the sensor element is arranged in the second portion,
wherein the housing part and the shaft element each have (i) a first bearing portion in the region of the second shaft end which is shaped in a manner narrowing toward the shaft end and at which the shaft element bears on the housing part in order to mount the position encoder on the housing part, the first bearing portion having a substantially axially extending contact face which contacts the housing part to seal off the region of the second shaft end, and (ii) a second bearing portion between the first shaft end and the first bearing portion for radially mounting the shaft element, the second bearing portion of the shaft comprising a protrusion having a contact face, extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft element, with respect to the housing part, the protrusion of the second bearing portion being separated from the first bearing portion by a lateral surface of the shaft.

2. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first bearing portion is shaped in a manner narrowing in a stepped manner.

3. The sensor device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first bearing portion further has a substantially horizontally extending contact face which immediately adjoins the substantially axially extending contact face.

4. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first bearing portion further has a substantially horizontally extending contact face which immediately adjoins the substantially axially extending contact face.

5. The sensor device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the position of the substantially horizontally extending contact face is produced with a precise fit.

6. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing part and the shaft element are produced with a precise fit in the region of the first bearing portion.

7. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second shaft end is not in contact with the housing part.

8. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the surface of the housing part or shaft element has a lubricant at least in the region of one of the first and second bearing portions.

9. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing part has contact faces formed in a segmented manner in the region of at least one of the first and second bearing portions, wherein the contact faces are separated from one another by grooves.

10. The sensor device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the grooves are provided to receive a lubricant.

11. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fit in the region of the second bearing portion is designed so as to further seal off the region of the second shaft end.

12. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor element has a chip, wherein the housing part has, in the second portion, a recess for receiving the chip, wherein the position of the recess is aligned precisely with the position of the shaft element.

13. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the position encoder has a lever element which is arranged at the first shaft end and is formed integrally with the shaft element, and wherein, in the region between the shaft element and the lever element, a recess is formed, via which the position encoder is able to be latched in place in the housing part.

14. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 for use as a ride-height sensor.

15. The sensor device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second shaft end includes a recess which receives the magnet element, the recess having a multistep shape.

Assignees

• Continental Teves Ag & Co Ohg

Inventors

• Kotlaja Aleksandar
• Krohn Thomas
• Risch Stephan

Classifications

• G01D11/245

  Housings for sensors · CPC title

• G01D5/145 Primary

  influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06) · CPC title

• G01D5/12 Primary

  using electric or magnetic means (G01D5/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01C19/00 Primary

  Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects · CPC title